Job Description

Competition number: J0622-0931
Department: Dance
Status: Full-Time continuing
Hours: 35 hours per week
Closing date: October 2, 2022
Anticipated start date: March 1, 2023

About the National Arts Centre
The National Arts Centre (NAC) is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation.

We are Canada's bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams-- Dance, English Theatre, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, the NAC Orchestra and Popular Music and Variety. The Centre also invests and nurtures in our next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. Our vision is to lead and support the renewal of the Canadian performing arts sector over the next three years, as detailed in The Next Act, the NAC's strategic plan for 2020-2023. Through collaboration and investment in creation, production, co-production, and dissemination, along with a heightened focus on community engagement, learning, and innovation, the NAC will shape a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive future for the performing arts in Canada.

The NAC creative leadership team, among the best in North America, consists of Cathy Levy (Dance), Mani Soleymanlou (French Theatre), Kevin Loring (Indigenous Theatre), Nina Lee Aquino (English Theatre,) Chris Dearlove (National Creation Fund), Alexander Shelley (NAC Orchestra) and Heather Gibson (Popular Music and Variety). They receive strong support from an exceptional management team and a Board of Trustees whose members come from across Canada.

Artistic Leadership for NAC Dance

As set out in its 2020-2023 Strategic Plan: The Next Act, the NAC has pledged to be among the leaders in the renewal and reimagining of the Canadian performing arts sector coming out of the pandemic. The NAC acknowledges the privilege of its relative security at a time when so many artists and arts organizations are experiencing the devastating consequences of the pandemic, and we pledge to fulfil our core value of generosity towards artists, partners and audiences by sharing our resources in concerted efforts to revitalize the performing arts in Canada.

The NAC Dance department is seeking an Executive Producer who is eager to embrace these complex challenges. The candidate will bring their own vision for the possibilities of the department, the organization and the art form as a means to achieve these goals. As a member of the NAC's senior leadership team, the Executive Producer will lead the Dance department at the NAC into a new chapter and play a key role in shaping the future of the National Arts Centre.

The NAC Dance department is seeking an Executive Producer to succeed Cathy Levy who will complete her tenure in March 2023. It is anticipated that the new incumbent would begin, ideally, in February 2023.

Key activities:

Reporting to the CEO, and in close collaboration with the Associate Producer, the Executive Producer, Dance is responsible for:

• Developing, organizing, directing, and supervising a balanced and wide range of dance programs with a high level of excellence, within corporate objectives;
• Developing and promoting a vision and direction for Dance, using a diversity lens, that will guide all artistic and budgetary decision making;
• Developing the budget of the Dance program in close collaboration with the Associate Producer, and overseeing the control of this budget while adhering to the corporate financial policies and regulations;
• Curating and delivering an annual roster of dance activity consistent with the strategic plan of the National Arts Centre, within approved annual expenditure budgets, that will appeal to current and future audiences in the National Capital Region and beyond;
• Reflecting the NAC's national mandate in determining an appropriate presence for dance activities outside the nation's capital;
• As a member of the NAC's artistic leadership team, the incumbent is involved in the management and strategic direction of the Centre as a whole, including collaborating and coordinating with other disciplines on artistic initiatives, program planning and the use of the facilities;
• Working closely with the Associate Producer and Dance department staff in planning and overseeing the successful execution of all artistic activities;
• Collaborating with Production, Marketing, Communications, Digital Experiences + Design, Learning and Engagement and other NAC departments in achieving annual programming objectives;
• Assuming a visible and inclusive leadership role in the Canadian Dance community;
• Representing the National Arts Centre at arts and culture events and conferences and, under the guidance of NAC Communications, engaging with media on the NAC's behalf;
• Playing a lead role as an advocate for dance in Canada in general, and the Dance department at the National Arts Centre in particular;
• Supporting the National Arts Centre Foundation's fundraising efforts by engaging with sponsors, donors and governments at all levels, under the guidance of the National Arts Centre Foundation;
• Developing partnerships with local, national and international dance organizations, companies and artists, as well as embassies, consulates and foundations where appropriate;
• Continuing to foster the Dance Department's role in education and community engagement programs.

Requirements: Required qualifications:

• Significant experience in dance leadership and in the nurturing and stewardship of a diverse range of Canadian dance artists;
• Comprehensive knowledge of Canadian and international dance artists and current trends;
• Demonstrated experience in planning and organizing a broad range of dance projects that fulfil a compelling artistic vision;
• An understanding of current production issues in dance presenting;
• Ability to play an inclusive leadership role within a large organization, as well as in the arts community both locally and nationally;
• A national and international network of relationships with counterparts in other dance organizations, combined with a demonstrated desire to collaborate with such partners;
• Ability to understand and navigate within the complex nature of management in a multi-disciplinary and diverse performing arts organization;
• A demonstrated dynamic public presence, with the ability to communicate effectively in writing and orally to inspire artists, colleagues, and peers, and to be effective in a broad range of settings, including within the NAC management arena, with the media, with Dance patrons and NAC donors, and across national and international dance circles;
• A strong track record of collaboration, leadership, and strong team building, with excellent interpersonal skills, including with IBPoC communities across Canada;
• A strong reputation as a respected professional in the dance community;
• Experience in linking the arts and the education communities;
• Willingness to travel in Canada and abroad;
• Fluency in both official languages;
• Willingness and ability to work overtime based on operational needs;
• A natural affinity with the NAC's values of Inclusion, Creativity, Generosity, Sustainability and Engagement.

Candidate Attributes:

• Energy, persistence, and effectiveness in conceiving and realizing ambitious artistic projects;
• Unquenchable cultural and human inquisitiveness, yielding a clear artistic vision and a broad range of solutions to address internal and external artistic and logistical challenges;
• A natural gravitation towards leadership;
• A commitment to the principles of equal opportunity, cultural diversity, and broadening access to the arts;
• Experience in fostering collegial and supportive relationships with staff, peers and other members of management;
• The ability to lead and motivate staff teams and external partners and manage/create meaningful relationships with local and international artists at all levels.

Additional Info: Who can apply:
Canadian citizens and Canadian citizens residing abroad. All communication will be conducted through email and interviews via videoconferencing. Please ensure to have the most up-to-date information on your resume including your current email address.

Workplace well-being
The NAC is committed to providing a safe, healthy and respectful work environment where all employees, contractors, patrons, artists and members of the public are treated with respect and dignity.

Workforce diversity
As an employer who values diversity in its workforce, we invite applications from all qualified individuals and encourage applications from members of racialized groups/visible minorities, women, Indigenous persons, persons who are Deaf and/or have a disability, persons of any sexual orientation, and persons of any gender identity or gender expression.

If you are a person with a disability and require accommodation for an interview, please advise us when initially contacted.

The successful candidate will be required to provide the original or a certified true copy of their education credentials as appropriate, along with proof of a valid Criminal Record Check as a condition of employment.

While we appreciate all applications, only those selected for an interview will be contacted by us.